Thursday, 29 October 2015

The stonemasonry school in Pucišca on the Island of Brac recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. It is a unique educational institution is also representing an attraction for tourists as well.

On the occasion of celebrating the anniversary, a book about the school was published. Though the school itself was founded in 1909, the education of stonemasons on Brac began in 1906 because of the great need for the development of stonemasonry.

In Pucišca and Selci, courses were organized in collaboration with a trade school in Split. After the course, students would pass their exams in stonemasonry.

Preserving the tradition of the trade, many generations of superior craftsmen were educated at this school. In their work, one could always recognize the signature style of the school. The history of the Pucišca stonemasonry school is intertwined with the history and tradition of the Brac stone, embedded in many great buildings.

Learning how to cut the Brac stone, the students even use toothed tools that were used by the Romans. Each year, the school enrols one hundred students from all parts of the country. Around 10 thousand tourists visit it every year.

The students of the Pucišca stonemasonry school have taken part in some of the world’s biggest tourism fairs, demonstrating the skills of their craft before numerous audiences.

Sunday, 25 October 2015

Due to the amount of work taking place at the lodge we have found it hard to keep the blog up to date over the last few weeks. With meetings taking place both Nationally and Internationally and work starting on some important projects the team is learning and improving fast. The 2016 work calendar already has projects in London, Oxford, the Cotswolds and Cambridge written in with Italian and French projects pencilled in for 2019/20.

Here are two of our apprentices examining a deteriorated water spout on St. John the Baptist, Roman Catholic cathedral before giving a price for the project.

A local person gifted us a block of limestone which was laying unused in their grounds.